'Reviews — Prof. C. Schuchert's Text-Book of Geology. 85 



down to the Warsaw, and a lower " "Waverlian ", continuing from 

 the Keokuk to the unfamiliar Chattanooga. These rather uncom- 

 fortable system-names are adopted from Mr. E. 0. Ulrich, who, 

 however, spelt them differently. In similar fashion the name 

 "Cretaceous" is restricted by Mr. Schuchert to formations corre- 

 sponding to our Upper Cretaceous, i.e. down to the beginning of 

 Cenomanian time; the preceding ages, from Albian to Neocomian 

 inclusive, are erected into the Comanchian period, at least so far as 

 North America is concerned. 



It may be gathered from the preceding paragraph that, except for 

 the Eras, and to an incomplete extent for the Epochs, Professor 

 Schuchert does not attempt to overcome the difficulties inherent in 

 geographical treatment by any use of universal Time-names. For 

 him such ages as ' Tournaician ' [stc] or ' Cenomanian ' [sic] are just 

 as local as the Elizabethan period or the Carlovingian epoch. No 

 living geologist is better fitted to discuss questions of correlation, at 

 all events for the Palaeozoic era, than is Professor Schuchert, and 

 the fact that he is deliberately provincial may be held to indicate 

 that in his opinion the time is even yet not ripe for comparison of 

 the isolated histories with any universal Time-standard. Such an 

 opinion does not well harmonize with the "widely held view that 

 the rhythmical movements of the earth's crust are at the base 

 of the whole march of the world and its varying tempo, or witli 

 the knowledge we already have of those movements — a knowledge 

 so well illustrated by Professor Schuchert's numerous maps, and 

 emphasized by the varied names that he provides for uplifts and 

 disturbances, such as the delightfully christened Shickshockian. 

 No doubt, as he says, we have still much to learn in Europe as in 

 America ; and the more Ave know the more impossible will be exact 

 correlation of far distant strata. But the practical application of 

 a Time-scale will always help us over many difficulties, and will at 

 least show just where our knowledge is defective. 



The book is meant to be a guide for American students, and for 

 such a purpose it seems well adapted. Apparently the students of 

 geology at Yale are not expected to have any knowledge of 

 elementary zoology and botany, and so the lecturer has ever and 

 anon to break the thread of his discourse in order to impart 

 information concerning the anatomy of Mollusca, the origin of 

 lungs, the classification of Pteridophyta, the physiology of 

 Amphibia, amniotic development, human embryology, and other 

 matters properly belonging to other branches of study. However 

 well Professor Schuchert deals with these subjects, the space devoted 

 to them has necessarily to be taken away from strati graphical 

 geology, and the part that suffers is, as already indicated, the 

 history of other countries. For us on this side of the Atlantic, 

 therefore, the book must serve, not as a text-book for our 

 students, but as a useful conspectus of American geological history. 

 Here the rapid advance has of late introduced so many changes that 

 one is grateful for a handy volume in which to follow the succession 

 of geographical forms, and from which to extract the meaning of 

 Appalachicola, Arikaree, Swearinger, Bertie, Cannonball, Kittatinny, 



